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Friday, November 23, 2012

When renovations are completed by June 1st of 2013, the resort in St. Andrews will have private balconies along the second floor, an indoor pool with a two-story water slide, along with energy-efficient wings conditioned for all seasons.

Vice President of New Castle Hotels and Resorts Guido Kerpel tells CHSJ News it's a unique and iconic property.

Kerpel adds both sections of the hotel will now match, with the same color white paint, and the Tudor-style trim will reach from end to end.

People on the west side will be able to take in the 8th annual Lancaster Santa Claus parade tomorrow afternoon starting at 1:00.

The parade will make its way eastbound along Manawagonish Road to Main Street, turning at Ready Street down to Catherwood and then making another turn onto Fairville Boulevard before winding up at the former Co-Op store.

Non-Perishable food items will be collected during the parade for local food banks as well as letters for Santa by Canada Post.

It's being called the dawn of a new era of co-operation between the airport and the port to boost the number of visitors to the city.

Tourism Minister Trevor Holder is pressing forward with promoting the Bay of Fundy as a world class tourist destination.

Port Authority President and C-E-O Jim Quinn tells CHSJ News the Bay of Fundy was in the running a couple of years ago to be one of the 7 natural wonders of the world.

He says if Saint John becomes the starting off point for cruise ships, it would not only mean passengers spending more time in the city before the depart but could result in more flights in and out of Saint John because they would have to get here somehow.

Saint John MP Rodney Weston announcing a contribution of up to over $20,000dollars to restore a memorialhonouring those who served in the First and Second World Wars, theKorean War, peacekeeping operations and modern missions.

The monument will be cleaned and polished, and various parts of it will be updated and replaced.

It's been a long time coming, but the Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station is back online as of today.

The facility is expected to provide 25 to 30 years of power to both New Brunswickers and export customers.Gaeten Thomas, president and CEO of NB Power, tells CHSJ News the customer rates will level out in the long term despite the project's widely-broadcast cost overruns.

There have been seemingly endless delays in the refurbishment project, which began in 2008. Tests and monitoring will continue during the early weeks of the plant's operation.

There's been a significant amount of buzz around around Saint John about the idea of fining sex workers for jaywalking

In fact, at least 75 people protested Thursday in support of sex workers rights on the back of a controversial motion floated by Councillor Susan Fullerton last week.

Councillor Shirley McAlary tells CHSJ News she's heard from a lot of constituents and none of them have been in favour of singling out one group when enforcing the by-law. McAlary, who voted against the motion, says police have better things to do and at the end of the day it's up to them.

Further, she says the only reason the motion got so much support among her fellow Councillors is that they probably didn't fully understand it.

The Saint John region doesn't need mega projects in order to prosper according to the General Manager of Enterprise Saint John Steve Carson.He says companies here can generate alot of work by tapping into the mega projects that are happening elsewhere in Atlantic Canada and building the components that are needed for these projects in Newfoundland, Labrador and Halifax. Carson adds he has been told providing supports for these projects has the potential of becoming a real gold mine.

Research has shown Saint Johnners overwhelmingly want their own community based economic development agency instead of relying on the province. Carson says its role will be determined by the Mayors and Councils in the region.

Saint John is seen as being strategically located as a gateway with affordable housing and the potential to have a skilled workforce led by U-N-B Saint John and the New Brunswick Community College.

True growth in the Saint John region is being revitalised with a call to action from Deputy Mayor Shelly Rinehart who says "It's a new day. We're back on the boat rowing together again in the right direction".

She says a comprehensive economic development plan will be put together in the new year which will include aggressively seeking out new business from elsewhere.

Rinehart admits Saint John has not done a good job of promoting itself elsewhere and she warns we need a ready and capable workforce but shortages of skilled workers are looming as the baby boomers retire.

Rinehart says the aim is to create the environment for economic growth to make it happen. She sees lots of opportunities for economic growth in I-C-T, Health Sciences and financial services.